Seoul Dragon - Chapter 49

"But, are you sure there won't be any issues with your body?"

The Director, who seemed slightly moved at first, suddenly asked me.

It wasn't an incomprehensible question. After all, any living being would consider the loss of blood dangerous.

But that didn't apply to me.

Someone might wonder if dragons are also in danger when they lose blood.

But that's only dangerous when there's excessive bleeding, not when I'm giving a small blood donation in human form. I'm not that weak to stagger from such a minor thing.

My original body is the size of a building—how could losing a few liters through blood donation be dangerous for a body that size?

There was a reason I confidently offered to supply blood to Yeonhwa every day. I just have a faster donation cycle than others.

I didn't even need a recovery period. That amount of blood was only equivalent to the proportion of blood that comes out when you slightly prick your finger with a needle.

"Director. Given that my true body is that size, taking out that small amount of blood doesn't affect me."

"...I suppose that's true. But isn't it still dangerous somehow? If it's known that your blood creates such miracles, parasites with ulterior motives will surely swarm around you."

"That's why I came to you, Director. I don't want strange insects swarming around me either. But since this is good for the public benefit, what do you think? Isn't this a pretty good proposal?"

The Director laughed after hearing my words.

"Haha, I understand. I'll handle it with care. Of course, I'll inform you of all the progress."

"Yes."

"Actually, even if strange individuals try to approach you, I think it'll be fine because of Yeonhwa."

"Ah, yes, that's true. Yeonhwa's ability... is truly terrifying."

In essence, Yeonhwa, who controls blood, is like a disaster to ordinary people who can't resist such control.

If she wanted to, she could easily annihilate an entire country.

She could just burst the blood vessels of anyone she sees.

...Come to think of it, if such power had gone to someone like a Demon-type mutant, I shudder just imagining it.

How did such power end up with someone like Yeonhwa, and how did the dragon's power come to me?

It's fascinating. The same goes for Sia's power.

Is there... some kind of restraining force?

A restraining force that doesn't give excessive power to those with extreme thoughts?

Well... I'm not sure. How could one judge such things?

"It is terrifying. That's why my colleagues and I, the so-called 'higher-ups' you refer to, have to be cautious when dealing with you all."

"Indeed. It's somewhat... different from what I imagined, so I was a bit surprised."

"Haha, in what way?"

"You know, like the fights that break out in the National Assembly."

Though I put it indirectly, the Director understood immediately.

He's surely aware of the many issues within the government.

Well... perhaps the Director himself might have done something knowingly or unknowingly.

Such positions aren't attained solely through integrity.

"It's because they're such people that their self-preservation is crucial. Would people who do anything for their own interests carelessly handle beings who could instantly turn those interests to ashes?"

Thinking about it, that's true. As long as we don't intend to meddle with their interests, they won't have a reason to lash out.

"I, too, am no different from them. So don't trust me too much."

"That's obvious. In these times, who would trust people carelessly? However... since you've done things for us mutants, I'll trust you that much."

"Haha, are you telling me not to act rashly?"

"It might sound presumptuous, but yes."

"I'll keep that in mind. I'm not foolish enough to instantly destroy what I've built up. In any case, if discussions with pharmaceutical companies go well, I'll inform you of the progress immediately."

"Yes."

"...Really, thank you in many ways. Thanks to you, my granddaughter has found hope to live."

Somehow, the conversation seemed to end well.

Well, since the new drug would have my blood as the main ingredient, as long as my rights to it were properly recognized, there wouldn't be any issues.

The source of the drug, too, would be handled properly by the pharmaceutical company if they didn't want to incur losses.

The headache-inducing complexities are for them to handle, not for me who's supplying the raw material.

I'm just curious about how they'll package and sell the dragon blood.

Well, isn't it a win-win situation?

In the end, it's a structure where I, the pharmaceutical company, and people who have lost hope due to various diseases all win.

Of course, there's a need to scrutinize the functions of dragon blood more closely.

You never know.

The fact that it regenerates nerves means it's involved in regeneration in some way.

If such a function applies to cancer cells, there might be a side effect of cancer cells suddenly proliferating.

In many ways, pharmaceutical companies will need thorough verification through clinical trials, so I think it'll be quite some time before the public meets this new drug.

Now that Hayoon's issue is roughly settled, what's left is the group project.

I immediately asked about the progress of the group project in the chat. There are countless people who forget or don't properly do things if not reminded timely.

[Yoon Seohyun: How's everyone's progress on the group project?]

[Lee Sihyun: I've finished collecting the materials as you said last time. Should I send them right away?]

[Yoon Seohyun: Yes. Send them.]

Sihyun seemed to have completed the data collection based on the books I had recommended last time.

[Lee Sihyun: Is there anything else I need to do?]

[Yoon Seohyun: No. You've done everything, so you can rest. What about the others?]

At my words, the international students uploaded their materials, but... as expected.

The quality of the materials is trash. I knew it would be like this. At least there were traces of effort, so I didn't say much.

[Yoon Seohyun: Then, junior Kim Minseong?]

[Kim Minseong: Ah, yes, senior.]

[Yoon Seohyun: I'll give you this material today, can you complete the PowerPoint as quickly as possible?]

[Kim Minseong: Leave it to me. I'll send it to you by Monday.]

[Yoon Seohyun: Oh, you're reliable. Good. I'm planning to do the presentation, but just in case, I'll prepare a script separately, so don't be flustered even if the presenters are randomly selected. Professor Kim Jinyoung won't scold you for looking at the script a bit.]

[Lee Sihyun, Kim Minseong: Yes!]

It's essentially a group project done by three people, but since I've already done this group project before... creating the paper was quick.

Based on the materials Sihyun provided, I clearly marked the sources, edited out the unnecessary parts from the materials.

It's something I've done so many times before. This is a piece of cake.

[Yoon Seohyun: FinalVersion.hwp]

[Yoon Seohyun: You need to turn this into a PowerPoint, and if you're curious about which parts to emphasize, just ask. I'll explain everything.]

[Kim Minseong: Thank you.]

As expected, no unnecessary comments. The result will probably be quite good. There's such a thing as a trustworthy appearance.

Good. With this, the group project is roughly done. Making the presentation script isn't that difficult either.

Still, I set up a separate appointment with Sihyun.

Rather than me doing everything, she needs to gain some experience too.

I didn't call Kim Minseong.

It's natural for people to feel uncomfortable when someone they're not close with asks to meet, so I didn't.

Above all, since he's someone who does well on his own, there's no need for me to offer to teach him this and that.

So, now I was waiting for Sihyun at a café near my officetel.

The café, which had undergone a renovation due to the Minotaur-type mutant earlier, was welcoming customers with an even cleaner appearance than before.

...They really managed to restore it well. It was seriously destroyed back then.

I understand that Sihyun had to find another part-time job because of that.

It might bring back memories in many ways.

We could have met elsewhere, but... since the coffee at this café suits my taste the best, I decided to meet here.

It would also be easy for her to find.

Before long, Sihyun appeared. She smiled brightly at me and said:

"Unnie!"

"Hello. You came early?"

"You're the one who came really early, unnie."

"I wanted to enjoy some leisure time after a while. Sitting in a café on a clear, sunny day like this and looking out the window feels quite amazing."

"Ah, I think I understand. Oh, let me go greet the manager first."

"Okay."

Since she didn't leave her part-time job on bad terms but due to the store's circumstances, Sihyun even received a small service from the manager.

"Oh."

"This is delicious. The manager made it for me a few times when I worked here..."

The service Sihyun brought was a small tiramisu.

"I know. I used to come here quite often before my mutation."

"I see."

"Well, then first..."

I took out the laptop I had brought.

"I'll teach you how to organize materials, how to edit, and how to write a presentation script. After all, there'll be times later when you become the group leader and have to do group projects."

"Ah, was that the reason you called me today?"

"And after we finish, we can chat a bit."

"Sounds good!"

"But make sure to learn well. It'll be very helpful later."

"Unnie, thank you so much. I'll buy dinner!"

"No need, I have plenty of money. I'll buy dinner too."

"Th-then... I'll gratefully accept."

"And I'll also briefly explain about PowerPoint. A junior once dumped it on me, so I had to study it forcibly back then."

"...Who was it?"

"There was a student named Seong Yunhwan from the class of 2016. I really suffered back then."

"That senior is really mean."

"He's sly. That's why I don't usually associate with the class of 2016 students. They're all similar."

"I see..."

"But don't show any reaction if you see him. There's no benefit in increasing enemies, understand?"

"Of course. I have that much social sense."

...Come to think of it, if Sihyun truly had poor social skills, there would inevitably be gossip about her in a department with such a high ratio of females like Korean Literature.

The fact that there's not much gossip suggests that she's handling herself quite well.